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Updated on: June 24, 2026 / 8:14 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, has submitted his retirement papers, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation, marking the latest high-level officer to leave the military during the second Trump administration.Donahue had earned the ire of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, multiple sources told CBS News, and two U.S. officials have confirmed to CBS News that the pair only met once in person, in February 2025. The U.S. Army confirmed in a statement that Donahue will "relinquish command" on July 2. Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, his deputy, will "perform the duties of the commanding general.""The Army thanks Gen. Donahue for his leadership of U.S. Army Europe and Africa," an Army spokesperson said.Donahue will also hand over command of NATO's Allied Land Command in a July 9 ceremony in Turkey, according to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson Col. Martin O'Donnell. The deputy commander, British Army Lt. Gen. Jez Bennett, will serve as acting commander until another American is assigned to the three-star role.Donahue is a West Point graduate, former Delta Force commander and former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. He helped lead security for the evacuation of the Afghan capital of Kabul in 2021, and was perhaps best known for being the last American soldier on the ground in Afghanistan, before boarding the final U.S. aircraft departing Kabul.The following year, as Ukraine faced a full-scale Russian invasion, Donahue was among the first senior officers on the ground in Europe to assist the Ukrainian armed forces. He was known for playing a pivotal role in advising the Ukrainians and enabling them to survive the first year of the war.
